The Greek-flagged suezmax tanker Maran Homer was struck by a suspected drone approximately 14 nautical miles off Novorossiysk, Russia, on March 14. The vessel was sitting in ballast, waiting to load Kazakh crude at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, when it was hit, sustaining minor deck damage with all 24 crew members, including 10 Greek nationals, escaping injury. The attack fits a pattern of suspected Ukrainian sea drone attacks against commercial vessels operating near Russian Black Sea ports, prompting Greece’s shipping ministry to issue heightened security advisories. The CPC terminal handles roughly 1.3 million barrels per day from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz and Kashagan fields, making it one of the world’s most significant single-terminal export points. War-risk insurance premiums for vessels entering Black Sea waters have climbed significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and each new incident gives underwriters justification to keep or push rates higher.
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